Loren C. Cleland, 96
Published 7:44 pm Friday, March 24, 2023
Loren C. Cleland, 96
Loren Cleland, age 96, of Austin and former part-time resident of Pepin, Wisconsin, passed away at home on March 21, 2023.
Loren graduated from Northfield High School on June 4, 1944. At age 17 ½, he was inducted into the U.S. Army on D-Day, and served as a Personal Affairs Counselor until January 1, 1947.
On July 30, 1949, Loren was united in marriage to Linda Bargen. He graduated from Carleton College with a degree in History, followed by a Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota. In 1952 Loren began his teaching career in Rushford, MN, followed by more than 30 years at Austin High School beginning in 1957. Travel was a favorite pastime of both Loren and his wife, Linda; they made more than 25 trips to England and Europe throughout the years, accruing numerous lifelong friends. Until the pandemic he was an active member of two senior bowling leagues, and an enthusiastic duplicate bridge player at the Mower County Senior Center until the last few weeks of his life.
Loren is survived by his wife of nearly 74 years, Linda, of Austin; children: Charles and Sally Cleland, Brooklyn Park, MN; Kristin and Roy Wood, Big Lake, MN; Timothy and Ann Cleland, Maplewood, MN; grandchildren: Andrew Cleland, Minneapolis, MN; Daniel Cleland and Ruthann Masse, and great granddaughter, Aldo Cleland, South St. Paul, MN; and beloved cat, Calico Ann.
The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to wonderful neighbors, Susan Palma, and ‘adopted’ Nieto (Grandson), Fernando Ortiz, for their many kindnesses.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, March 30th at Christ Episcopal Church with Father John Sullivan officiating. Visitation will be held Thursday afternoon for one hour prior to the service, at church. Reserved funeral parking is available at the Clasen-Jordan Mortuary parking lot within 1 block of the church. Clasen-Jordan Mortuary is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to the Mower County Humane Society, 101 – 22nd Street SE, Austin, MN 55912 or the Pepin County Humane Society, 1008 West Wells Street, Durand, WI 54736.